Book Review: Fairytale with pictures- Little Red Riding Hood

“Little Red Riding Hood,” story and photos by William Wegman. Mr. Wegman is known for his Weimaraner (type of dog) photos with Fay Ray. In this classic fairytale he uses photos of his dogs dressed in costumes to help tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Pictures really are worth a thousand words. Kids will think the dogs look pretty silly.

Movie Review: Mary Poppins.

Movie Title: Mary Poppins. Disney Musical. Rated G. A proper English nanny, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), comes to live with a middle class English family. With some magical assistance her two charges learn to clean up. A friendly chimney sweep, played by Dick Van Dyke, sings and dances to the tune of "Chim Chim Cheree." Children should enjoy the animation scene where Dick Van Dyke dances with penguins.
Towards the end of the movie the children’s father learns to be a better parent. When Mary’s not needed anymore the “dream nanny" fly's away using an opened umbrella. If your kids haven’t already seen Mary Poppins they should. It’s a classic.

Arts and Craft Project: Paper Clock. Help you child learn how to tell time

Paper Plate Clock.
To help teach your child how to tell time.

You will need a stiff white paper plate, marker, metal paper tab, and a piece of construction paper.
1- With the marker write the numbers 1 through 12 on the paper plate like it was a clock.
2- Using the construction paper make two pointers for the hands of the clock.
3- Make a tiny hole in middle of plate with pen knife.
4- Put clock hands in mid clock position. Now punch holes through clock hands with metal tab. Secure tab in back. Note: Do not make the tab so tight that it is hard to move the hands of the clock.

Show your child what 1 o’clock looks like, then 1:09, 1:15, 1:20, 1:22. Half past 1. A quarter to 1. Ten to 1. And so on. Do this with rest of the numbers on paper clock.

Parenting Tip for Super Active Kids

If your child has a hard time sitting still in school or at home when doing their school work let them stand while doing it. Talk to your child's teacher about this idea. Also, during homework time give your child a break every fifteen to twenty minutes to run around to get their energy out. Have them do jumping jacks, jump with a rope, or jump on a small trampoline.

Great Study Tip for Kids, Preteens, Teens

Study Tip for your child: If your child has a hard time remembering history or science facts here’s a tip a teacher taught me. Make up a word or simple phrase using the first letter of each fact. Example: Your child needs to remember the five oceans of the world. They are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic (or Southern Ocean). If your child can remember the first letter of each ocean and put them together to make a word, phrase, or something similar it will help them memorize the oceans easier. In this case if your child can associate “PI triple A” to the names of oceans it will trigger their recall of them. PI is for Pacific and Indian. Triple A is for the Atlantic, Arctic, and Antarctic. If your child has to remember a date like May 1919 they can think, “I like to play in May double 19.” Even if they can’t remember the whole phrase it will trigger their memory about May 1919. But don’t make the connecting word or phrase so difficult that it confuses them. The whole point is to have the word or phrase jolt their memory. This can help when you stress out and blank, or have the answer on the tip of your tongue. I have used this method myself when I don’t have a pen and paper handy and I have to remember certain information or groceries to buy. The phrase “sugar without the u” can help you remember to buy soap, grapes, apples, and rice. Your brain tries to fill in the blanks when you give particular letters to words. If you remember soap, apples and grapes, but you blank on the last one this method will prompt your brain to find the connection between the grocery and the phrase. You might think and think, “What is the r grocery I need to buy?” then it will hit you, “Oh yes, it’s rice.”

St. Pat's Day's Recipe: My Big Sister's Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie
(And no, it doesn't really have grasshoppers in it)

First buy or make 8-9 inch pie crust.

Ingredients you need for pie filling:
25 large marshmallows
1 cup of whipped cream
½ a cup of milk
3 tablespoons of Crème de Menthe (this is liquor)
2 tablespoons of Crème de Cacao (this is liquor)
3 drops of green food coloring

Pour milk into mixing bowl. Melt marshmallows (in another container). Once melted add marshmallows to milk. Stir in Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cacao. Add drops of food coloring to mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Pour in pie crust. Freeze pie overnight. Serve frozen.

Movie Review: Shrek 2

Movie Title: Shrek 2. Animation with music. Rated PG. It might be rated PG because a few things said in the movie aren't appropriate for very young kids. Plus, the bartender in Shrek 2 is a man in drag. I'm not too keen on sequels because if the first movie was good it's hard to compete with it. Shek 2 isn't as good as the first but it's a fun film none-the-less. In this movie Shrek and Fiona are married. With Donkey (voice of Eddie Murphy) in tow they go meet Fiona's royal parents. Fiona's father is not happy his daughter is still an ogre. And he's certainly not happy she's married to an ogre. Fiona wants Shrek to get along with her father but he doesn't want to. This makes Fiona unhappy. To make things right Shrek seeks the help of Fiona's fairy godmother. But she won't help him. This is because Prince Charming is her son. The Prince still hopes to be king someday. Shrek steals a happiness potion from the fairy. He drinks it and becomes human. He must kiss Fiona by midnight to make things right. Eddie Murphy does a great job again as the annoying Donkey in Shrek 2.

How to Talk to Your Child and Teen Effectively

Article on How to Talk to Your Child and Teen Effectively.

What kind of voice do you use when talking to your child? This is a very important question. Tis sad but true but I have heard parents talk to their children like their kids were the ones with the power. The parent will ask, uneasily, "Tommy, do you think you could turn off the TV before you leave the room if it's not too much trouble?" Why is the parent asking this in such an unsure voice? What they desire should be put in a polite statement, not in a walking-on-egg-shells question. Some parents request things in timid wondering ways because they do not want a confrontation. They do not want to get in a possible argument. The parent is afraid of the reaction they might get to their request. Maybe Tommy could get angry and say something unkind. Or the parent might be afraid their child will think they are mean and dislike them. Or the parent might feel bad if their child cries.

Kids can be manipulative. A woman I know, who I will call Barb, stopped carpooling with another mom. This is because Barb has a rule, no drinking anything but water in her van. The other mother insisted her son needed a juice box in the car to calm him down from a hard day at school. Barb said he could have it when he got home. But the woman insisted her son said he needed it in the car. Barb told the woman just to tell him, wait till you get home. The woman refused saying her son would cry and that would ruin his day. Barb refused to budge. She told me in a disgusted voice, "Just think, if a not having a juice box in the car is going to ruin his day what other things will ruin his day? Not being able to watch TV when he wants? Eating vegetables at dinner? This parent is setting up her son for unhappiness. A juice box should not ruin his day."

Again kids can be manipulative. If they know you need them to like you they will use this to their advantage. I know a parent who has an only child. Both she and her daughter know her teen can get away with things by saying, "If you don't let me do X I will move out and I will never have contact with you again." The mother does not want this so she gives in to things. But it would be more sensible to call her daughter's bluff. But the mother is too scared to do so. As long as you let your child have the upper hand in situations like this it will be harder to parent your child. Scared parents do not make effective parents.

To be an effective parent be kind but firm. Think now about what kind of voice you normally use with your child when you want them to do something. It should be even toned. It should not be in a brow beaten voice or in quite tone which lacks confidence. Nor should it be in a high pitched whiney voice, like, "Tina, whhhy don't you evver listen to meee? Whyyy don't you ever do whaat I tell you?" Say what you want with self-assurance. Like you expect them to do as you say. Kids will pick up on this. Some kids will push the boundaries. One boy I know told his mother he would not do as she asked because she did not ask politely. Actually she did. He just wanted an out. He has also tried to get out of doing a request by pouting, "You hurt my feeling by the way you asked so I'm not doing it." Do not fall for such traps. If you tell your child to do something politely, let them know you did. Then tell them you expect them to follow through with the request and leave it like that. Do not get in an argument about feelings. Tell them firmly, "I'm not arguing with you about this," and don't. If your child sasses you when you make a request call them on it. Do not ignore it. If they try to turn the tables on a reasonable request, like it is your problem, do not buy into it. Example: In the morning you say to your teen, "I need the car back by 4 to go the bank." Their response, "I told you I needed the car. It's your problem you didn't go to the bank yesterday." Let them know you expect to be treated with respect. Do not let your child be the puppet master in your home.

Now some parents say they are extra nice when talking their child because their child is extra sensitive. Yes, some children are extra sensitive but if you talk baby talk to a six-year-old you are acting younger than them. You are unknowingly, or not, giving them the power. Both of you should talk your age. If you set up this candy sweet tone of voice with your child early on it is going to be harder to stop later. Your child will be used to this voice. Later when you do start telling them to do things in a normal voice they might complain that you are being mean. But you are not. You are finally talking to them as the parent, not as an equal or as a baby. If you are in this baby talk predicament now do not let your child manipulate you when you stop. I know one parent who finally decided to stop requesting things from his daughter like this. She did not like it and told him she would not speak to him until he started talking nicely to her again. In times like this be cool. Calm. Collected. Tell your child you know how to talk nicely. That you are talking nicely, and that she is old enough to be talked to in a normal voice.

In conclusion, stop and listen to how you speak, and act, toward your child. Because this is what you are teaching them. If you do not want a whiney child do not whine yourself. If you want them to talk with poise and confidence do so yourself. With this article hopefully now you have gained new knowledge on How to Talk to Your Child and Teen Effectively.

Book Review: Ecomazes, 12 Earth Adventures

Picture/Maze book for first to fifth graders. With this book travel through mazes while finding things in the pictures. "Ecomazes, 12 Earth Adventures," by Roxie Munro is a really cool book. Trek through twelve different land and waterscapes mazes. Take a journey through a rainforest, the wetlands, a coral reef and an alpine mountain. Explore paths in the Arctic polar, Antarctic polar, the tundra, and grasslands. Pass through mazes in the desert, savanna, a conifer forest, and a temperate forest. At the end of the book there are interesting facts about our ecosystem as well as the answers to the mazes. Ecomazes, 12 Earth Adventures makes a nice gift for a birthday present or an any day present. Take it along on a car trip or a long plane trip to keep your child occupied. For nighttime fun do one maze at bedtime with your child. For more fun time how fast it takes you to get to the end of the maze with the sought after items.

Help for Inflamed Ear Lobes from Wearing Inexpensive Ear-Rings

Do you or your daughter have trouble with inflamed ear lobes when you wear ear-rings that aren’t gold or silver? Well a friend of mine who makes jewelry told me a trick for people who can only wear gold, silver or platinum ear-rings. Put clear nail polish over the post of your less expensive ear-rings. This will lessen the chance of your ear lobes having an allergic reaction to the cheaper metals. I had this problem myself and this solution worked. You have to reapply the clear polish after wearing the ear-rings after about three times. Also try plastic backings.

Another tip my friend gave me- The salt on your fingers can leave a brown color on the backs of your silver ear-rings. To get rid of it clean backings with toothpaste, but not the gel kind.

Science Day: Vitamin C Experiment

Science Day: So I don't know about you but I see antioxidants like vitamin C touted in creams. Why is this? Well tonight let's take a look at why this might be happening.

What your child needs for this experiment: Two paper plates. Two slices of cut apple, exposing the apple inside. A vitamin C pill crushed into fine powder. You can crush the vitamin C pill with a rock or paper weight on a different surface.

Put an apple slice on each plate. Sprinkle one slice with vitamin C covering entirely the exposed apple. Leave the other apple slice alone. Now normally with apple slices when you give them to kids, and they don't eat them right away, you might hear this, "Yuck! I don't want this! The slices are brown." The apple slices started turning brown because they were exposed to air. But when an apple slice is covered with vitamin C it will take much more time to turn brown. To see this in action have your child wait six hours and then look at the two plates. The apple without the vitamin C should be turning brown. Look again the next day. The apple slice without the vitamin C looks like it should be thrown out. If you want, wait another day and observe the condition of the cut up apples.

Book Review: Picture Book- Tell the Truth B.B. Wolf

"Tell the Truth B.B. Wolf," by Judy Sierra. Illustrated by Jotto Seibold. Cute story, so-so pictures. I liked the story line. The Big Bad Wolf lies about how he accidentally ruined the three little pigs houses. However, the pictures are so hum-drum that it began ruining the story for me. A different style of pictures could have helped.

Arts and Crafts: How to make a bean tambourine.

How to make a bean tambourine.
What you need: Two stiff paper plates. Dried beans. Yarn (enough to go around the plate). Hole puncher. Crayons or markers.

Have your child color the back of both plates. When done, put plates together face to face. With the hole puncher punch holes around edge of plates. Match holes in plates so yarn can go through both plates. Tie a knot at one end of yarn. Pull yarn through a hole and down another and so on. If you have a big needle, and your child is old enough, you can thread it this way as well. When the yarn is almost around plates fill the inside with beans. Afterwards close up rest of holes with yarn and tie shut. So beans can’t come out of tambourine sew shut with another piece of yarn starting from the other side of plate. This project is for children ages four and up.